Hat-brim curling and ironing machine.



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(Application med Dec. 19, 1900.

(No Model.)-

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No. 683,544. Emma Oct. I901. a. ATH'EBT'ON. HAT BRIM CURLING AND IRONING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1900.)

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No. 683,544. Patented Oct. M901.

6. ATHERTON.

HAT BRIM CURLING AND lRUNlNG MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FTC-4.14.

W/TNSSES: 77 //v my run A Tron/vs rs PATENT GILES ATHERTON,'OF STOCKPORT, ENGLAND HAT-BRIM CURLING AND IRONING MACHINE.

SlPEGIFICA'I'IQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,544, dated October 1, 1901. Application filed December 19, 1900. Serial No. 40,424. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that 1, Guns ATHERTON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Stockport, in the county of Chester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat- Brim Curling and Ironing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to and consists of an improved construction of felt-hat-brim curling and ironing machines by which brims of felt hats, whether soft or hard, straight or arched, may be expeditiously curled and ironed to various sizes and shapes of curl, to various sizes of ovals, (according to the size of the hat,) and to distortions of such ovals 2'. 6., square at the corners, front, and back, or front onlyand to other shapes according to fashion or taste.

The accompanying drawings illustrate machines embodying my invention, and with the aid of the reference-n u morals marked thereon I will describe the same in detail.

On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation taken from the front of the machine, and Fig. 2 is a left-hand side elevation. Fig. 3 is a part plan. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate certain details to alargerscale. On Sheet 2, Fig. 7 illustrates a similar view to Fig. 1, but showing certain additional features of the invention. Fig. 8 is an inverted plan of the under part of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is adiagram. Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate one form of curling-iron used with the machine. Fig. 12 illustrates a longitudinal section through the traversing mechanism and machine-table. Figs. 12, 13 and 14 illustrate details. Figs. 13, 14, and 15 show certain details, and Fig. 16 illustrates a modified arrangement of drive.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, 1 is a table of any suitable design and proportions and upon which I mount between slides 2 a plate 3. Upon such plate I mount a further plate 4, also lying between guides2 or formed to overhang plate 3 at either side. Upon a stepped boss 5 on the plate 4 I mount a further plate 6, (hereinafter referred to as the gear-plate,) having a ring of teeth 7 upon its lower face and near its periphery, also having two ribs or key-like projections 8 upon its upper face equal in length to about double the length of the teeth 7. Partly upon the gear-plate and partly upon the boss 5, also around a central stud 9, projecting from the plate 3, I mount a cam-plate 10. (See Fig. 12 Above such cam-plate and resting thereon, also upon the gear-plate 6, I mount a further plate 11, with curved groove or recess portion 11 (see Figs. 13 and 143,) the under face of which where it rests on the plate 6 being provided with grooves 12, (see Fig. 13 corresponding in position and width to the ribs 8.

Upon and pinned to the plate 11 is a table 1 3, upon which latter is mounted and fastened the brow or block 14 for holding the hats while their brirns are being curled and ironed. With the gear-plate 6 set in motion and such plate concentric with the stud 9 a hat mounted on the brow or block rotates concentrically around the stud. When, however, the gearplate is eccentric to the stud, the hat has an elliptical or oval movement, varying in size or radius with the degree of eccentricity. Hence by varying the position of the stud 9 in relation to the plate 6, or vice versa, anysize of oval common to hats may be obtained. The necessary adjustment of the parts for effecting the variation of oval is obtained by sliding the plate 3 while the plate 4: is held stationary, or vice versa, and for nicety and facility of such adjustment the regulatingscrews 15 and 16 are employed, (see Fig. 6,) both screwing through the cranked extremities of the plates and the screw 16 secured to the machine-table, as illustrated. By the rotation of screw 15, facilitated by the handwheel 17, the plates 3 and 4: are adjusted in relation to each other, and by the rotation of the screw 16, facilitated by the small handwheel 18, the two plates 3 4 and all that is mounted on them are moved bodily. In lieu of such compound arrangement of screws I may employ separate screws for each plate.

Gearing with the teeth 7 of the plate 6 and mounted upon shaft 19 below the table 1 is a toothed spur-wheel 20. Also upon the shaft 19 is a set of fast and loose driving-pulleys 21. Such pulleys when a slow speed is required may be upon a side or lay shaft and drive the shaft 19 through toothed or chain gearing.

Fixed to the top of the table 1 is a pillar or pedestal 22, and upon a stud or axis 23 in the head of such pillar I mount an arm 24. In the free end of such arm I mount the shaft axis 51.

or spindle 25, which carries the curling-tooli. 6., a small circular disk or wheel 26and by an arrangement of chain-wheels and chain 27 28 29 and bevel-wheels 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 I impart rapid rotary movement to the said curling-tool. By means of a lug 36 on the arm 24, a lug 37 on the top of the pillar 22, and a bolt 38, passing loosely through such lugs and provided with a regulating-nut 39, the arm is held in or about a horizontal position. By means of a swivel-plate 40 and slotted bearing in the arm 24 (see Figs. 4and 5) the spindle 25, and with it the curling-tool 26, is capable of being moved to and fro in a direction parallel with the arm. Owing, however, to a tension-spring 41, secured at one end to a handle 42, forming part of or conneeted to the plate 40, and at the other end secured to a screw 43, passing through a fixed abutment 44 and fitted with a regulating-nut 45, the said swivel-plate and spindle are normally held at that end of the slotted bearing nearest the pillar 22.

Upon the table 13 I mount the iron 46, heated by gas, oil, or electricity and of a shape on its working edge corresponding to the required shape and size of the intended brim-curl. When gas is the heating medium, I employ a pipe 47, which branches off to a rotary blower 46, so that by means of a jet of gas and a forced current of air I obtain great heat and avoid all smell of the gas. Theiron j 46 is supported partly by the table 13 and partly by a bracket 22 on the pillar 22, and to that portion supported by the bracketI connect a small stud 49, which projects through a slot in the bell-crank lever 50, mounted on To the other arm of the lever 50 I connect a rod 52, which extends downward through an opening in the table 1 and at its opposite end is linked to a foot-treadle 53. Around such rod and lying between the under face of the table 1 and a flange 54 is a spiral spring 55, the tension of which is such as to impel the iron 46 toward and (with nothing intervening) against the curling-tool Upon the operator pressing his foot upon the treadle 53 the iron is drawn back from the tool 26. When, therefore, a hat is placed upon the brow 14, the plates 3 and 4 adjusted to give the proper oval, the hat-brim set to its proper position in relation to the curling-tool 26, and the treadle released, it will be seen that the combined action of the tool 26 and iron 46, acting elastically against the brim as it is traveled in the true oval path between them, will be such as to impart the required curl to such brim, the heat furnished by the iron 46 and the friction of the tool 26 (which rotates more rapidly than the hat) serving to iron the felt and give a definite set to the brim. To hold the hat firmly to the brow 14, I employ a metal rim or yoke 56, with or without a flange 57 and of a character which permits it to act as a clamp in holding the hatbody to the brow and the fiat portions of the brim down upon the table 13 while the brim is being curled. In the treatment of soft felt hats the top surface of the table 13 is horizontal; but in the case of hard hats or hats already arched I form the said surface of a corresponding arch, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and I arrange for the iron 46 to rise and fall with such arch, also the arm 24, and with it the tool 26, which latter is adapted to ride upon the flange 57 of yoke 56 or upon the felt and to reduce friction provided with a small antifriction-ball 58. The tool 26 being made smooth or being slightly conical or rounded upon its underside, the ball 58 may be dispensed with. Then the operation of curling and ironing is completed, the operator depresses the treadle and lifts the tool 26 clear of the brim, utilizing for this latter purpose the handle 42, which both serves in raising the arm and withdrawing the tool 26 out of the curl of the brim. To retain the arm in its elevated position, I employ a latch 59, engaging at one end with the spindle 25 and at the other end adapted, with the arm 24 raised, to engage with a notch 60 in the pillar 22 under the tension of spring 41. While the radius of the arm 24 will itself gen erally permit the tool 26 to rise to its highest point, it is important to notice that the moment the tool 26 is out of the brim the spring 41 pulls it away from the side of the hat-body, and thereby permits of its disengagement from the narrowest brims.

To stop the machine when requiring to remove the curled hat and to insert a fresh one, I mount the shaft 19 eccentrically in a bush or sleeve 61, the throw of which for, say, a quarter of a turn is such as to lower the wheel 20 out of gear with the plate 6. The bush is operated simultaneously with the depression and elevation of the treadle 53 through the mediu m of the rod 52,alink 62,with forked extremity engaging the two flanges 54 and 54 on said rod, and an arm 61 fixed to the bush. The eccentric movement of the shaft is by preference in or about the sweep of the chain 29, so that such chain shall always remain taut, as also the chain or flexible strap which drives the blower 48, since it is obvious that it will often be desirable to keep the tool 26 in motion and the burner heated when the other parts are at rest.

Should a change ofcurl be required, the tool 26 and burner 46 are removed and others which will give the required curl substituted. In this connection I may employ the iron shown in Figs. 10 and 11, which embodies three sizes and shapes of curls, having three working faces 1 2 3, each of different shape and size and adapted by the swiveling of the iron on a stud to come into play as and when required.

To prevent sin gein g of the felt,each iron has a layer of asbestos at its lower edge, and to guide the brim to the iron and start the curl each iron may have a small guide-pulley 63. (See Fig. 3.)

While the machine as described will serve to curl and iron hat-brims to any size of oval and curl of brim, it will not curl and iron the brim to any other shape, andv as hats when curled by hand are often made square at the corners, front, and back, or front only, it is desirable to vprovide means for giving such squareness or like distortion of the ovals, and to that end I employ the means shown in Figs. 7 and 8, which are designed to give the hat as its brim passes beneath the ironing-tool 26 a slight movement away from the tool 26 and repeat such movement four times in each revolution of the hat when the brim requires to be square at the corners, front, and back and twice only when the brim requires to be square at the front only or back only. In applying the said means the stud 9 is connected to and rotates with the cam-plate 10 and passes through a hole in the plate 3 and an opening in the table 1, below which it carries a plate 64. Upon such plate are bowls or pegs 65 or the like and two or four in number, according to the shape of hat, and corresponding in position to the corners of the hat-brim. Below the plate and pegs I arrange a rod or spindle 66, supported by fixed and screwed bracket 67 at one end and by the boxed and square extremity of screw 16 at the other end. Upon such red I mount a sleeve 68, having a reduced diameter at one end to receive a further sleeve 69 and two flanges or nuts 7 O, which hold the sleeve 69 on the sleeve 68. The sleeve is screw-threaded internally, and the pitch of the thread, like that of the rod 66, corresponds with that of the screw and screw 16.

Mounted adjustably between two ears 71 on the sleeve 69 is a track-cam 72. This cam by the rotation of screw 15 via gear-wheels 15 or screw 16 is moved to and fro in sympathy with the hat and stud 9 and by the setscrews 73 is adjusted in relation to the pegs 65. In Fig. 8- I show the track-cam slightly nearer the stud 9 than the pegs. Consequently as the plate 64 rotates and the pegs pass through the track or groove of the cam such cam being stationary causes the plate 64, stud 9, plates 3 and 4, and the hat-brim to move away from the tool 26 four times in each revolution of the hat and cause the tool to iron and shape the brim-corners to an outline which affords the desired squareness. The hat is returned to the true oval path by the curve of the cam itself or by a spring 74 or by other suitable means. To vary the distortion, the cam is adjusted nearer to or farther away from the stud 9. When the hat only requires to be square at the front or back, only two of the pegs 65 are removed, and the resulting efiect is shown in Fig. 9. To exclude dust and prevent trapping of fingers, I may provide the table 13 with a downwardly-projecting flange or apron, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. By marking the wheel 17 and fixing a pointer to plate 4 the degree of oval may be readily indicated.

Referring again to the spindles 16 and 66,

it will be seen that these have a right-hand thread and the sleeve 15 a left-hand, so that when hand-wheel is rotated to the right the sleeve 15, hand-wheel17, and plates 3 4 move bodily along it to the left. Simultaneously the screw 66 rotates, and being like threaded travels the sleeve 68 and cam 72 to the left, also in exact sympathy with the plates 3 4, which carry disk 64 with pin 65. A reverse movement of wheel 18 travels the said parts to the right, the sleeves 15 68 being prevented rotatin g by the resistance or friction of wheels 15 and by the operator holding wheel 17 by one hand while he rotates the wheel 18 with the other. By rotation of the hand-wheel 17 to the right and holding wheel 18 stationary the plate 3 travels along the screwed sleeve 15 to the right. Simultaneously such sleeve through wheels 15 rotates sleeve 68 and with spindle 66 held stationary causes the sleeve 68 to travel to the right, and thus causes the cam 72 to travel in exact sympathy with the plate 3.

Figs. 13 and 14 show end views of the plates 3 4 and the manner of their alternative mounting in slides 2 upon the table 1. Fig. 15 shows a plan of the revolving plate or table 7, having the ribs 8, which take into grooves 12. Fig. 16 shows the modified gearing, 75 being a flexible shaft with bevel-pinion 76 at one end gearing with bevel driving-wheel 77 and coupled to a shaft 74 at the other end.

What I claim is 1. In combination in a machine for curling and ironing the brims' of felt hats, a table, a set of adjustable plates supported thereon, one of said plates having an opening therein, a stud on the other plate projecting into said opening, means for adjusting the plates, whereby the position of the stud on the one plateis altered in relation to the opening in the other plate, a gear-plate supported on one of the adjustable plates,acam-plate supported by the gear-plate and stud, asecond. plate having a recessed under face fitting over the camplate, a connection between the gear-plate and said second plate to impart rotary movement of the gear-plate to said second plate, said connection also allowing a radial movement of the said second plate on the gearplate, a table having a hat-brow thereon and carried by the said second plate, means for rotating the gear-plate, a curling-tool, a pivoted support therefor whereby the tool may be positioned adjacent to the hat-brow and a curling-iron with means for holding such iron elastically against the curling-tool and for withdrawing said iron, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a machine for curling means for adjusting the plates- ICC the other plate, a gear-plate supported on one of the adjustable plates, a cam-plate supported by the gear-plate and stud, a second plate having a recessed under face fitting over the cam-plate, a connection between the gear-plate and said second plate to impart rotary movement of the gear-plate to said second plate, said connection also allowing a radial movement of the said second plate on the gear-plate, a table having a hat-brow thereon and carried by the said second plate,

means for rotating the gear-plate, a curling- I tool, a pivoted support therefor whereby the tool may be positioned adjacent to the hatbrow and a curling-iron with means for holding such iron elastically against the curlingtool and for withdrawing said iron, a disk upon the downwardly-projecting end of the said stud, pegs or bowls projecting from said disk, a track-cam arranged adjacent to the disk to receive the said pegs, a sleeve for carrying the track-cam adj ustably, a second sleeve supporting the first, a screw-rod supporting the said second sleeve, means for rotating the said rod and second sleeve and a fixed bracket for sustaining the screw-rod, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a hatmaking machine, a set of adjustable plates, a gear supported by one plate to rotate thereon, a cam connected with the other plate to be adjusted therewith in relation to the gear-Wheel, a second plate fitted to the cam-plate, and having a sliding connection with the gear-plate, a hat-brow supported by said second plate, driving means'for rotating the gear-plate and means for throwing the driving, means out of operation, said gear-plate being interposed between the one plate first mentioned and the second plate, substantially as described.

4. In a hat-curling machine, means for holding the hat, a table supporting said means, a pedestal on said table, an arm pivoted to the pedestal, a curling-tool spindle carrying a curling-spindle, a sliding bearing carried by the said pivoted arm and carrying the said tool-spindle, a handle on said sliding bearing, means connected with the toolspindle for rotating the same, means for adjusting the position of the pivoted arm in relation to the pedestal to change the position of the tool in relation to the point of work, an adjustable tension-spring for drawing the spindle with the tool in one direction and means for holding the arm in an elevated position consisting of a latch carried by the arm and in connection with the spindle, said latch being adapted to engage a notch in the pedestal when the pivoted arm is raised, substantially as described.

5. In combination with means for holding.

the hat, a curling-tool, an arm supporting the same, a pedestal supporting the arm, and having a bracket projecting therefrom supporting the iron, a bell-crank lever connected with the curling-iron, a rod and foottreadle connected with the bell-crank and a spring for placing the said rod under tension, substantially as described.

6. In combination, in a hatcurling machine, the curling-tool, means for supporting the hat, carrying means for moving said support to give a variable oval movement to the hat-brim in relation to the tool, and controlling devices for the said carrying means to automatically alter its movement to vary the shape of the oval, substantially as described.

7. In combination with a hat-brow,supporting means therefor, a tool with means for controlling the same and a rigid clampingring 56 arranged to hold the hat to the brow.

8. In combination with the hat-brow and carrying means therefor adapted to have variable movement, means for rotating said carrying means and controlling devices for varying the movement of the carryingdevices comprising a cam, a part on the carrying means to engage the earn, a sleeve upon which the cam is adj ustably supported, a second sleeve for supporting the sleeve first mentioned and a screwrod for supporting the second sleeve, substantially as described.

9. In combination, the hat-brow, means for supporting and carrying the same comprising a rotary plate, means for rotating the same, a support for the hat carried by said plate, a cam engaging said support and means for ad justing the cam in relation to the rotary plate, said means comprising the stud connected with the cam and an adjustable plate carrying the stud, said support for the hat and the rotary plate being immediately connected, substantially as described.

10. In combination, the hat-brow, the supporting-plate therefor, a rotary carrier for said plate, a cam and stud for adjusting the 1 sn p portin g-plate in relation to the rotary carrying-plate, means for adjusting the stud and controlling devices consisting of the disk on the stud, said disk having projecting pegs and a cam-track to engage said pegs and give a shifting movement to the stud and cam, substantially as described.

11. In combination, the hat-brow, a plate 11 supporting the same, a cam engaging said plate, means for adjusting the cam, a rotary carrier-plate for the supporting-plate, means for changing the position of the supportingplate in respect to the rotary carrier-plate, and the rib-and-groove connection between the plate 11 and the rotary carrier-plate, substantially as described.

12. In combination, the hat-brow, a supporting-plate 11 having a curved recess on its under side, a cam fitting said recess, means for adjusting the position of the cam, a rotary carrier-plate for the supporting-plate 11 and upon which the supportingplate rests directly and the sliding connection between the supporting-plate and rotary carrier-plate, substantially as described.

13. In combination with the supporting and controlling means for the hat, a curling-iron having three curling faces of different size IIO means for the hat having adjusting devices 10 for moving the carrying means bodily whereby various oval motions may be obtained and controlling devices automatically operating to distort the oval, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

GILES ATHERTON.

Witnesses:

WALTER GUNN, JOHN CAMP. 

